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HBO confirms Game of Thrones will end after eight seasons

Game of Thrones will conclude after eight seasons, it has been confirmed.

HBO programming president Casey Bloys told press at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour that the current plan is for the eighth season of the fantasy drama to be its last.

Answering questions from the press, Bloys said: “Yes, I think [Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do.”

He revealed that HBO wanted to make more episodes, but they respected the decision of the show’s writers that the story would be best told with fewer episodes.

Bloys said: “If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons, but we want to take their lead with what they could do and what the best version of the show is.”

Game of Thrones is currently in production for a shorter-than-usual seventh season, which will begin filming later this year and wrap in February 2017. It is scheduled to arrive on HBO and Sky Atlantic screens in summer 2017.

Weiss and Benioff have previously said they envisage the series to be 75 episodes, meaning the final season will be eight episodes long.

However, Bloys said a decision on the number of episodes in the final season had not yet been made.

Bloys also discussed potential plans for a spin-off to the hit series, admitting there were no concrete plans at this point in time: “We’ve talked about it. It’s not something I’m opposed to, but it has to make sense creatively.

“I’m not sure the guys can wrap their heads around it when they are about to start production. We’re open to it — the guys aren’t opposed to it, but there’s no concrete plans right now.”